Now that summer’s blistering heat is over and done with we can finally move into fall and all of the great things the new season has to offer! And what better to occupy some of that extra time indoors than by diving into some fun new fall craft ideas!

Fab Fall Craft Ideas for Skin Care DIY-ers

Following you’ll find a collection of twelve fab fall craft ideas for people obsessed about skin care! These crafts include homemade recipes for fall inspired soaps, salt scrubs, bath bombs and more that you can make at home!

In addition, if you’re on instagram I’d love to see photos of your fall crafts! Simply tag photos of your creations with the hashtag #soapdelishowoff on instagram so I don’t miss your amazing creations and all the cool fall craft ideas you come up with!

Learn how to make this easy pumpkin spice pie soap recipe! Made using a natural melt and pour soap base, this pumpkin spice pie soap recipe has a “chocolate graham cracker crust” and “icing drizzle.”

Not only is this pumpkin spice pie soap fun to create and use, it also makes a wonderful homemade gift for the holidays! Not a fan of pumpkin spice? No judgment here. There’s also an alternative fragrance option!

Instructions:

You will need a Cake Slice Silicone Soap Mold and a digital scale. I specifically used the Crafter’s Choice™ Cake Slice Silicone Soap Mold for my pumpkin spice pie soap recipe however, you can find the similar (though lesser quality) silicone 8-cavity cake molds for about half the price with free prime shipping on Amazon here. In addition, a spray bottle filled with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol is helpful, though not absolutely necessary. This pumpkin spice pie soap recipe will yield three pie slice soaps.

You’ll begin by making the pie crust.

Weigh out 5.4 oz. of clear detergent free melt and pour soap base. Cut into chunks and combine in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat again if needed, in 30 second increments, stirring in between heatings until the base has melted.

Next, weigh out the coffee, brown sugar and the pink Himalayan salt. Stir into the melted clear soap base.

Now weigh out the cardamom mocha fragrance oil. I specifically used this fragrance oil, however, you can use a chocolate fragrance oil as well. Alternately, you can scent the entire soap with a pumpkin spice fragrance oil. The cardamom true sugar fragrance oil is pretty awesome too.

Now pour the soap equally into three of the mold cavities. Spritz with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol then allow to cool and harden. (You can place your mold with the melted soap in the refrigerator to speed up the process. I find that the detergent free soap bases take a lot longer to fully harden than the ones with detergent.)

Once the soap has hardened, you’re ready for the next step.

Next you’ll make the pie filling.

To make the pie filling for the pumpkin spice pie soap recipe, you’ll begin by weighing out 13.35 oz. of your white detergent free melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap into chunks and combine in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat again as needed, in 30 second increments, stirring in between heatings until the base has melted.

Add 25 drops of the orange liquid soap color. If you’d like a deeper orange for your soap, simply add more color. (Alternately you can also use a chunk from an orange color bar. In this case start with part of one square, stirring until it melts fully, then add additional color as needed.)

Now weigh out the pumpkin spice fragrance oil you’ve chosen to use and stir into the melted white soap base. (If your pumpkin spice fragrance oil has vanilla in it, it will cause the soap to turn brown, giving your soap a brownish-orange hue. However, if you want to keep the look of the orange pie “filling” as pictured, be sure to use a vanilla stabilizer for melt and pour soap to prevent the soap from turning brown.)

If you don’t want to use the pumpkin spice fragrance oil, you can easily substitute another “pie like” fragrance oil of your choice. Alternately you can also use .15 oz. of blood orange essential oil which blends perfectly with the chocolate “graham cracker crust.”

Spritz the tops of the “pie crust” in your mold with alcohol, then pour the “pie filling” on top of the pie crust into each of the three cavities of your silicone mold. Spritz the tops of your freshly poured soap with alcohol to remove any air bubbles then allow to cool and harden fully.

Once your pumpkin spice pie soaps have set up, you’re ready to add the icing drizzle!

Make your icing drizzle!

I specifically used the Crafter’s Choice basic white melt and pour soap base for the icing, not the detergent free. This is because this base sets up more quickly than the detergent free bases so it’s easy to work with for this application. You can, however, try it with the detergent free base if you like but I can’t vouch for how it will perform.

This is where it gets fun!

Weigh out .45 oz. sal butter. Place into a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the sal butter in the microwave at 50% power until almost melted.

Now weigh out 3.25 oz. of the basic white melt and pour soap base. Cut into chunks and combine with the sal butter in the glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat again if needed, in 30 second increments, stirring in between heatings until the base and sal butter have melted completely.

I didn’t scent my icing, but if you’d like to scent yours you can add up to .15 oz. of a fragrance oil of your choice.

Allow the “icing” mixture to cool slightly. You want to be able to pour it, but you don’t want it to just run right off the tops of your pie soaps. Don’t worry if you pour it too hot the first time. You’ll have extra “icing” to correct any mistakes. If it’s too hot on the first try, simply allow the base to cool a little longer, then pour it back over the tops of your pie soaps.

Remove your pie soaps from the silicone mold.

Now pour a layer of “icing diagonally” across the tops of your soaps using a back and forth motion.

This can be messy so be sure to pour the “icing” with your pie soaps on a cutting board or another surface that is easily cleaned.

Once you pour the first layer, go back over the soap and pour another.

Now add some of the liquid orange soap color to the remaining “icing” to suit and mix well to combine. Repeat the process with the new color.

Once the “icing” on your pie soaps has set up, carefully remove them from your working surface and wrap tightly in foodservice film. Your pumpkin spice pie soaps are now ready for use or for gifting!

This hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe is made using the crockpot method and is made using frozen coconut milk cubes and canned pumpkin. It’s a sure hit for fall and beyond for anyone who is a fan of pumpkin pie!

Created by Beth Walker of Soap Mage, an online shop dedicated to bringing you handmade artisan soaps, Beth used the hot process soapmaking method to lend this homemade pumpkin pie soap a more rustic, true handmade look. Typically Beth loves using goat milk in her handmade soaps, however at the request of a loyal customer she crafted this hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe with coconut milk instead with her in mind. The result was a handmade soap that turned out to be one of Beth’s favorite milk soaps. As Beth is a self-defined foodie and lover of all things autumn, she also wanted to make this with hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe with real pumpkin so she chose to use actual canned pumpkin in addition to the coconut milk. And she was even more pleased that the pumpkin scent she chose also survived the saponification process and the fragrance shined through in the finished soap bars.

Following you’ll find Beth’s own hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe along with her directions for making your own handmade pumpkin pie soap. And, if you don’t have the time to make your own, you can always purchase Beth’s handmade soaps in her online shop. For those of you who are still getting the hang of things or aren’t entirely sure about using lye calculators yet, I’ve include the actual amount of each ingredient you’ll need to make a batch that fits into one of my DIY wooden soap molds.

Instructions:

If you prefer to make this pumpkin pie soap recipe using the cold process soapmaking method, then you will need to follow my cold process soapmaking instructions here. Otherwise follow Beth’s instructions for making this pumpkin pie soap using the hot process soapmaking method below using your crockpot. And don’t forget to take all proper safety precautions when working with lye.

“Turn your crockpot on low while weighing out the oils. Then using a digital scale weigh out each of your soapmaking oils and then add the oils to the crockpot allowing any hard oils to melt down. While the oils are warming you should prepare your lye solution using the frozen, cubed coconut milk. (One of the great things about hot process soapmaking is that you don’t have to be too concerned about temperatures!) Create your lye solution by adding the lye to the coconut milk and mixing together until it has fully dissolved. Now add the sodium lactate to the lye solution and stir to combine. You’re now ready to add your lye solution to the oils! Slowly add the lye-coconut milk solution to the crockpot of soapmaking oils and blend with a spatula.

Next, use a stick blender to mix the lye solution and soapmaking oils until the soap reaches a light trace. Once the soap batter has reached a light trace add the canned pumpkin. Then use a stick blender to bring your soap to a thick trace.

Now put the lid on your crock pot and set the timer for about 15 minutes. Check your soap once the timer goes off. You should start to see the first stage. (For a pictorial on hot process soapmaking go here.) Continue checking the soap about every 15 minutes until your soap looks like mashed potatoes. You can zap test your soap if you like by sticking a wooden chopstick in the soap, allowing it to cool for a minute, then sticking it on your tongue. If there’s no zap then your soap is ready. If you feel a zap then this means the lye is still active and has not fully gelled. In this case it will feel a little like sticking your tongue to a 9V battery – which doesn’t hurt – but does tingle. Some soapers prefer to use pH strips, so if you have them handy, feel free to use them instead.

Once your soap has reached the “mashed potato” stage and there’s no zap, turn off your crockpot and use a thermometer to check the temperature of the soap. You don’t want to add any fragrance or essential oils while the soap is still fairly hot. Add your scent (if desired) and any colorants you’ve chosen to use at this time. For this particular hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe, I added a half teaspoon of orange mica to give the light orange color of the pumpkin pie soap a little more pop.

Now plop a layer of the soap into your prepared mold making sure to tap the mold on the table to get rid of any trapped air, especially since hot process soap is “fluffy.” If desired, you can add a light pencil line with some cocoa powder or a darker colored mica at this time. Next, add the remaining soap to the mold and tap the mold on the table again. You can help your soap cool down faster by placing your soap in the freezer as it’s likely still hot from cooking as well as from using milk in the recipe. Once your soap has cooled completely, you can remove it from the mold.

Although your soap is technically safe to use right away, hot process soap still needs to be fully cured just like cold process soap to allow the water to evaporate out. This not only makes for a harder bar but also a less harsh bar with a better lather. If I’m making soaps for myself and I’m impatient, I cure typically cure my hot process soaps for about 2 weeks before use. However, If I’m selling my soaps I’m always sure to give them a full four week cure.”

Your final soaps will yield the following properties (via SoapCalc.) This of course does not take into account the extra conditioning properties the fat from the coconut milk and the pumpkin lend to this soap.

Want to learn more about the woman behind Soap Mage?

Beth refers to herself as a soap alchemist. She loves everything to do with the middle ages including alchemy, ancient soapmaking (which she thinks of as alchemy!) and the artwork and architecture of the time. She’s also a hardcore RPG (role playing game) gamer, and is influenced heavily by gaming, Medieval history, science fiction, fantasy, and horror in her soapmaking. She’s currently working hard on branding her product line which is aimed more at the younger adult crowd as well as goths, gamers, and the like. Her desire is to set herself apart from other soapmakers which has allowed her to find her niche. Her inner geek loves to come out when she’s designing her handmade soaps in what she likes to call her soap alchemy lab.

While Beth has moved into creating handmade soaps with a more gothic look, she still loves to create the handmade soaps that got her started on her soapmaking journey prior to her branding her handmade soap line. This includes the more “familiar” homemade soap recipes like homemade coffee soaps and goat milk soaps, as well as foodie inspired homemade soaps like the her hot process pumpkin pie soap recipe featured here.

Moving forward Beth will be giving the pretty mica swirls she used in this pumpkin pie soap recipe a rest for a bit as she’s planning on making more handmade soaps with essential oils and natural colorants rather than synthetic ingredients to add to her growing product line. But don’t fret, because you can bet that all of Beth’s handmade soaps will still have some reference to alchemy since that her brand is becoming known for.

Pumpkin Fall Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

Instructions:

This recipe will yield three pumpkin shaped soaps. Begin by cutting the soap base into chunks. Weigh out the soap using a digital scale then melt in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave in 30 second increments until all the soap has melted. Weigh out the fragrance oil and stir into the soap then add the liquid soap color.

Mix well and pour the soap into the three pumpkin cavities of your mold. Spritz the top of the poured soap with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to remove any bubbles. Allow to solidify while you make the fall leaf soaps.

Mix well and pour the soap into the three leaf cavities of your mold. Spritz the top of the poured soap with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to remove any bubbles. Allow to solidify.

Once all of your soaps have hardened fully, gently turn them out of the mold.

If desired you can dust the tops of your soaps with bronze mica powder using either your finger or a small paint brush once you’ve unmolded them.

Finally wrap your soaps tightly in plastic food service film to keep them from absorbing moisture from the air. Then label if desired and gift to your friends and family! But don’t forget to keep one or two for yourself!

This cold process homemade pumpkin soap recipe is handmade using real organic pumpkin making it a perfect soap for the fall season! Pumpkin isn’t just cool because it’s autumn, though. It’s also great for your skin too! Pumpkin is packed with fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids which are shown to help smooth and brighten skin. In addition pumpkin also contains vitamins A and C which have been shown to help soften and soothe skin as well as boost collagen production which helps to prevent signs of aging.

So what are you waiting for? Stop by your local grocer for a can of organic pumpkin and get to work on this homemade pumpkin soap recipe to help keep your skin looking bright and beautiful throughout the fall season and beyond. Plus these homemade pumpkin soap bars make lovely homemade gift ideas for the holidays! So be sure to make enough to share!

Begin by mixing your lye water. Weigh out the water and lye using a digital scale then slowly pour the lye into the water. Mix well until all the lye has dissolved then set aside to cool.

Now weigh out the soapmaking oils and butters and combine in a large stainless steel pot on the stove. Heat over medium heat until all oils are melted, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Once your lye-water and soapmaking oils reach around 95°F-100°F you’re ready to make soap.

If you are planning to add a colorant to your soap, start by adding a pinch each of yellow and iron oxide pigment powders to your soapmaking oils and then mix well with a stick blender.

Next slowly pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils and mix until you reach a light trace. Add the pumpkin and mix again until it is fully incorporated then add the fragrance oil if desired and continue mixing until your soap has reached a full trace.

Pour the soap into your prepared mold, cover and insulate. After twenty-four hours have passed you can unmold your soap and cut it into bars. Allow soap to cure 3-6 weeks before using then wrap and label as desired.